Page 5 - Chiense TExtiles, MET MUSEUM Pub 1934

PREFACE
This volume was originally written as a handbook to ac-
company a special exhibition of Chinese court robes and
accessories presented by the Museum in December, 1931.
It does not pretend to be anything more than an intro-
duction to the study of Chinese textiles, but it has seemed
to meet so definite a need that it is now being reprinted
with some changes and corrections. We have tried to
give enough of the early historical background of Chi-
nese textiles to indicate their importance in any general
study of weaves and needlework, but discussion of spe-
cific examples has necessarily been confined to the pieces
in our own collection.
The Museum has acquired in the last few years a col-
lection of Ch'ing dynasty textiles which is certainly the
most important and extensive group outside the Im-
perial Palace Museum in Peking. The nucleus came by
bequest from William Christian Paul, who had for
many years been ambitious to make an outstanding col-
lection for this Museum. His history as a collector is
unique in the annals of the art world, and the Museum
is deeply indebted to him not only for his remarkable
gift but also for the impetus which his generosity gave
to this hitherto neglected phase of Chinese art.
A number of other gifts greatly enrich the collection.
Notable among them are a sacrificial robe of the Em-
v